Pokemon Journeys
by Darkelf
Summary: A group of renegade Pokemon, either runaways, wild, or ones that have been abandoned, try and survive in the unforgiving Pokemon world.
1. Abandoned, but not alone

Ch. 1: Abandoned but not alone

"Go, Crystal!" She appeared suddenly in a grassy field. Standing opposite of her was an Ivysaur, standing ready to battle. Her ears went flat against her head. This was going to be a hard battle. She didn't think she could win. 

"Scratch attack now!" She heard her trainer, Jared, yell to her. "Ivysaur, Vine Whip!" his opponent commanded.

Pushing her doubt aside she leapt forward and charged at Ivysaur. It tried to hit her, but she was much faster. She jumped at its face and scratched it repeatedly. 

"Ivyyyyyyysauuuuur!" her opponent growled. "Meeeeeeooooowwww!" _Oh great, now it's mad!_ She exclaimed. The Ivysaur used its Vine Whip, and this time Crystal wasn't fast enough to dodge it. She crouched on the ground, the Vine Whip hitting her repeatedly. Suddenly it stopped and she looked up in time to see Ivysaur charging at her. She was flung several feet and landed hard.

"Crystal, don't just lie there! Use Scratch again!" Jared yelled impatiently. She tried to get up again and managed to swipe a few times at the Ivysaur, but it used its Tackle again, and this time she couldn't get back to her feet.

"Yeah! A victory for me!" Jared's opponent said happily, thrusting one fist in the air. Jared sighed, annoyed. "Return, Crystal." He grumbled. After she disappeared, he looked at the Pokéball with disgust. Adam, his best friend and now opponent,walked over to him with a grin on his face. "Some Pokémon you got there!" He joked. "Where did you catch that thing? I'll make a mental note not to get any Pokémon from there!" he laughed.

Jared glared at him, "I didn't catch her. My friend at the Breeding Center gave her to me." They walked to the Pokémon Center and healed their Pokémon. "Well, I have to go get some Great Balls from the Pokémart. I'll meet you outside of town," Adam said. Jared nodded and started off. After a few minutes of contemplation, he walked deep into the forest, away from the trail. He pulled out Crystal's Pokéball and called her out. The Meowth looked around, thinking she was going to be in another battle. No one was there. She looked up at Jared questioningly. The way he was looking at her made her feel kind of guilty, though she didn't know why she should be. 

"I don't train worthless Pokémon like you – I train strong Pokémon that can actually win. Fend for yourself from now on. You're worthless," He said harshly, turning and walking away.

"Meeoww! Meeoooooowwwwthhh!" _Please don't leave me, Jared! I tried to win, really I did! _She yelled after him, running to catch up. He turned and threw a rock at her, but she dodged, her eyes wet with unshed tears, and took a few tentative steps forward. He pulled out a Pokéball and she stopped. Was he recalling her?

"Onix, go!"

"Ghooooooooooorrllllll! The huge rock snake appeared, suddenly charging towards her. She shrieked and ran as fast as she could, finally stopping when she was too exhausted to go any further. She lay there panting, winded and now utterly lost. Why had Jared done this to her? She had tried her hardest to win. All Pokémon were strong deep inside, they just needed trainers that could bring that strength to the surface. Maybe she wasn't as powerful as his Onix, but she was still strong and faster than most of his other Pokémon. Crystal lay there for a while, long after sunset, then slowly got back on her paws and found a sheltered place to lie down. Someday she'd find a way to show him just how strong she was. But now it was time to rest.

***

The next morning when she awoke, she was hungry. Not extremely so, but she would need to find food soon. The little Meowth walked for hours in the direction she thought would lead to the road, but just ended up going deeper into the forest. She sighed and went over to a small pool of water to get a drink, glancing up after a second to see several Pidgey fly above her. In a second they were gone again. _I wish I could fly. Then I'd be able to find my way out of here, _she thought. 

"Rrrrrraaaaaataaaataaah!" _Hey! You! What are you doing here?_

She jumped in surprise and looked over to see two Ratatta nearby in the grass. Neither of them looked too happy.

"Me..meeeowwww," _Um…, hi_. She said, backing away. "Meow, meeeee…Meowth meow!" _I'm ah… just passing through, so… please leave me alone!_ With that, she ran in the other direction as fast as possible. _I'm not a coward. I was outnumbered. There's no way I could have defeated both of them!_ She thought. Then she stopped in the middle of a small clearing, her eyes watering, and lowered her head. _No. I have to stop making excuses. I have to fight sometime, and running away is no way to learn how to win! I'm not supposed to be afraid of some scrawny wild rats. No wonder Jared abandoned me… I can't even stand up for myself_! Her eyes began to water more.

"Dro! Drowwzzzeee-drowz?" _Hey! What are you doing here?_ a voice from behind her demanded. She whirled around, the fur on her back standing straight up. This time she was going to fight it out! A Drowzee stood behind her, scowling. "Drowzze-zeee! Drowzeee!" _This is my clearing. Go find your own!_

She glared and closed her eyes tightly for a second, shedding her tears and talking on a very dangerous look. "Mew meeeowth!" _Make me!_ She roared, lunging at it. The Drowzee was caught completely off guard by her sudden attack and wasn't fast enough to react. She scratched it several times in the face and it backed away.

"Drowzee… Dro!" _Now you asked for it! _The Drowzee started waving its arms,"Drowzee… drrroooowwwwzzeee…..drrrrrrooooowwwwzeee.." _You are getting sleepy. Sleeeeeepppppyyy…..sleeeeeeeeeepy…_

Crystal closed her eyes tightly and covered her ears. The last thing she needed was to fall asleep! When the Drowzee suddenly paused, she leapt at it, scratching away. It didn't seem to do anything. Suddenly she got the urge to bite it. She recoiled. BITE IT? She shook her head and then decided to go with her instincts. She latched onto the Drowzee's arm and bit down hard. To her complete surprise, it fainted. She stared at it, dumbfounded, then felt excitement well up in her like nothing she'd ever experienced before. She'd won a battle! 

***

It took Crystal quite a while to realize what had happened. Bite was a Dark-type attack, and Drowzee was a Psychic- type Pokémon. She knew that, but why she had learned the Bite attack, she didn't know. Maybe she had really known it all along and just hadn't used it. That was the only logical solution. 

However it had happened, it was a good thing it did. Bite was a good attack, and she needed good attacks to get stronger. Right now, she was just overjoyed to have won a battle. As she walked, she became aware of a sound in the distance.

"Raaaaaaaaaaiiiii! Raaaiiiiii!" 

Curious, she stalked towards the sound. Rounding a large tree, she spotted what was making the sound. A Raichu was in one of those odd net traps, high up in a tree. "Raaaaiiiiiiii… CHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" It shocked the net, but to no avail.

"Meooooow?" _Hello?_ She called.

(From now on, the story will be fully dubbed into Pokémon language.)

The Raichu stopped and looked down. "Yeah? What?" he asked. 

"I ah… heard you yelling. Do you want some help?"

"No. I don't need any help. I can get down on my own." He replied.

"Oh, well then if you're going to act so independent, then I guess I'll just be on my way." She said irritably. To think she was actually going to try and help him! If he was going to be so ungrateful as to –

"Um, wait! Wait, uh, Meowth! Wait!" the Raichu called. She turned around and looked up at him impatiently. "What?" She asked.

The Raichu sighed. "I guess I could use some help. Could you maybe untie that over there?" He pointed to a rope that held the net up, tied to a stump that was almost hidden in the grass.

"Well… I can't untie it, but… maybe I can chew through it," She said, scampering over to the rope and biting down hard. It was thick and it hurt her jaws, but she wasn't about to give up. She chewed on it for several minutes, her mouth aching, but eventually she got through it and the net came crashing to the ground.

"Oh, sorry!" She said, running over to the net to see if he was all right.

"That's no problem," The Raichu replied, rubbing his head, "Thanks for getting me down, anyway…" their conversation stopped suddenly when they heard voices from down the trail. They rushed into the trees and watched as two humans came to check the trap. After looking it over and cursing to themselves, they continued walking in the direction Crystal had just come from. The Meowth sighed and stepped out of the bushes. Raichu smiled and extended one paw to her, "My name's Pulsar." 

"I'm Crystal," she replied. "So what are you doing out here? I mean, wild Raichu aren't exactly a common occurrence…" 

"I'm not really wild," Pulsar replied, "I ran away from my trainer." Crystal looked shocked. "You what? Why?" She asked.

Pulsar's ears went back, as if he was thinking of something upsetting. "He caught me as a Pikachu a few months ago. No – actually I followed him as a Pikachu. He looked like a strong trainer so I went with him. Big mistake," he said angrily.

"He wasn't a good trainer?" Crystal asked.

"Oh, he was. Too good," Pulsar looked almost sad, "He trained me constantly. I was always tired. Even though he was a good trainer, he didn't care about me. All he cared about was winning. Then he used a Thunderstone on me and evolved me when I couldn't win against this Psychic-type Gym leader. After I did manage to win, I ran away. That was almost a month ago, now. I've been on my own ever since. I like it this way." He looked Crystal over, "You don't _look_ like a wild Pokemon. Are you?"

"No," she said. "My trainer abandoned me because I was too weak to win. He never even bothered to train me – just sent me into battle a few times and when I lost he ditched me," She dropped her gaze to the ground, "I guess he's not the only human that doesn't know what it really means to be a trainer."

"Guess not…" Pulsar looked down the trail, "So… how about coming along with me? There's strength in numbers, and if you want I could teach you some things about battling." Crystal's eyes widened. "Really? You would do that? Oh wow! Thanks, Pulsar!" she jumped up and down excitedly. "So, where do we start?"

"Hey look! That must be what got out of the net!"

"It's that Raichu again!" 

"Get it!"

Pulsar looked at the approaching humans wide-eyed. "We start by running!" he replied, turning down the trail. "C'mon, Crystal! I know where we can go!" he called over his shoulder. She followed along behind as best she could, but Pulsar was an evolved Pokémon, and very fast. Suddenly a net appeared in front of her and she was swept off the ground. A butterfly net. How original.

"Hey! Let me go! Pulsar! Hey Pulsar!" She couldn't see him anywhere. 

"Well, we at least got one Pokémon. Think maybe someone would want to buy her?" one of the humans asked.

"Hell yeah. Look at 'er. She'd make a great pet fer one o' them rich people," the other replied.

"RAI!" The two humans spun around. 

"Try this on for size! RAAAAAAIIIICHHHHHUUUUU!" Pulsar's Thunderbolt fried the two humans, but luckily for Crystal the net she was in was designed to catch Pulsar, and therefore was made of rubber.

The net dropped to the ground and she crawled out and walked over to Pulsar. 

"Thanks!" She said.

"Just returning the favor. Now let's get out of here. I know where we can get some food," he replied. 

(End Note: Neither of them knew exactly what they had started, but from then on others would join up with them, too. If you'd like to join an RPG about this story, e-mail me at Mew_@thepokemasters.comwith a detailed description of the past and personality of the Pokémon you wish to play. Your character might also show up in the story later on. No really powerful Pokémon, please, or any made up ones. Thanks! -Darkelf) 


	2. Enter Keia

(Note: I don't own Pokémon, and I don't own the song Life is a Highway. So please don't sue me. Also, Pulsar and Crystal are my characters, and Keia belongs to her player, Reanni.)

Chapter 2: Enter Keia

"C'mon, you call _that_ an attack?" Pulsar asked. Crystal was out of breath. "Well I don't want to hurt you, Pulsar! Can't I find an opponent I _don't_ know?" she asked. Pulsar sighed. "Don't worry about hurting me. I'm at least three times bigger than you, and I'm at the third stage of evolution. Just attack, okay? It's not like you're gonna -" *WHAM!* As he spoke, her ears went flat against her head and she lunged forward suddenly, slamming headfirst into the Raichu. He wasn't expecting it, as a matter of fact he though she was going to scratch him or use one of her attacks. However, Crystal had realized that her attacks didn't do much, so she'd changed her strategy. Pulsar was hurled backwards onto his back and had the wind knocked out of him. Crystal blinked and walked up beside him. "Um… Pulsar? You okay?" she asked.

"Eh… yeah. I'm.. fine…" he said, groaning and getting back on his feet. Then he grinned at her. "Well, that's a great start! The best way to grow stronger is to fight Pokémon that are as strong as you or stronger," he said. Then he started off in the direction of a small lake he knew of. "I'm gonna get a drink. Coming?" he asked.

"No thanks, I'm not thirsty," she replied, heading off into the forest. Pulsar shrugged and went to get a drink. 

After walking for no more than a few feet, Crystal heard rustling in the bushes. A young girl walked out and suddenly noticed her, then grinned and pulled out a Pokéball. 

"Finally, a wild Pokémon that might be a challenge for ya! Pokéball, go!" She yelled, hurling it. A huge bird Pokémon appeared from it, eyeing the Meowth. "Aaaaaaaaiiiiiiii! It's a Pidgey on steroids!" Crystal shrieked. "Pidgey? _Excuse_ me? _I _am a Pidgeot!" the bird retorted angrily. 

"Pidgeot, Fly attack!" the trainer yelled. The huge bird flew straight up, and then dove down, building tremendous momentum. Crystal was frozen in place. There was nowhere to run! Suddenly there was a flash of brown from her left, and Pulsar leapt into the air, landing directly on the descending Pidgeot's back. "RraaaaaiiiiiiiCHHUUUUUU!" Electricity enveloped the two powerful Pokémon, and Pidgeot fell like a rock. Pulsar slowly and dramatically turned to look at the trainer, looking very menacing. "Rai!" he said angrily. The girl stared unbelieving at her fainted Pokémon. "T-that was a – a Thunder attack!" she stuttered. Then she recalled Pidgeot and ran. Pulsar smiled and looked over at Crystal. "A little intimidation never hurt anyone. Next time you see a human, look dangerous and kind of angry. Then they might leave you alone," he advised. The Meowth sighed. "I wish I was strong like you. It seems like every time I turn around you're saving my butt!" she said. Pulsar shook his head, smiling to himself. "You just have a lot to learn."

They kept on going in a random direction, seeing as they had nowhere to go and all the time in the world to get there (and because neither of them had any idea of where they were). "I've forgotten just how hard life can be when you don't have a trainer," Pulsar mused. Crystal turned to him curiously, "Do you regret leaving your trainer?" His ears went back again, "No, I'll never regret ditching that creep. I'd rather starve than have to be with him any more."

Crystal sighed and her ears drooped, "Jared didn't treat me all that well, either, but it wasn't so bad that I'd run away. Yet. Maybe I would have after a while. I don't blame you for running away, Pulsar. Humans can be really horrible sometimes."

Pulsar looked over in the distance, "Hey look. There's a mountain over there. Most trainers wouldn't go up there, I'd think. Wanna go see what's there? Could be fun."

She followed his gaze, "Sure. Not like there's anywhere we have to be right away."

They traveled for two days before reaching the mountain, and spent half of the third traveling up it. Crystal also learned one of Pulsar's other talents besides fighting – singing. As they traveled, he started singing, "Life is a highway! I want to ride it all night long! And if you're goin' my way, I wanna drive it all night long!" That was the only part of the song he knew, but still, his deep voice and the way he sang it made it sound really good. After a short time Crystal caught on and joined in. Anyone passing by would think it was kind of strange – after all, it wasn't every day you saw a Pokémon singing outside of battle, much less a Meowth and a Raichu singing together. 

By the time they were half way up, both were tired and kind of hungry. The terrain was rough and steep, so they decided to would be a good idea to rest. They had seen no other Pokémon on the way up, which was odd. Then they found out why.

It rose up from the ground behind them without warning – an Onix that was much bigger than any they had ever seen. It didn't look too happy, either. "Ghooooooorllll!" It roared. Pulsar swallowed hard and said, "Um, hi... we're just passing through. No need to be nasty or anything… see, we're just trying to find somewhere that doesn't have any humans and –" 

"This is my mountain! Get off of it!" the Onix growled. "Are all wild Pokémon this territorial?" Crystal asked in a whisper. 

"I think so..." Pulsar replied. The Onix was at the end of its patience. It dove down towards them, and they just barely managed to get out of the way as it slammed into the ground where they had been standing. Crystal snarled and tired to bite the huge rock snake, but its hide was too thick. It ignored her and went for the most obvious threat, Pulsar. The Raichu leapt out of the way, but Onix landed on its tail blade. Pulsar grabbed his tail and pulled hard, but the Onix was too heavy. He couldn't get away now and the other part of the huge Onix was free to attack. Pulsar used his Thunder attack over and over, but it had no effect. With a sudden surge of energy, Crystal leapt onto the Onix's back and ran up onto its head, trying to scratch at its eyes. The Onix closed them and shook its head violently to try and throw her off. She hung on for dear life, but eventually he threw her off and she hit the side of the mountain hard and fell to the ground. The good news was that Pulsar's tail had been freed in Onix's struggle. The bad news was that the Onix was now even madder. The two stood facing the huge snake, realizing that there was no way to escape. Suddenly, "Essssssp…" A blue light formed around Onix, "eeeeeeooooooon!" it was hurled into the side of the mountain, then into the ground, and into the side of the mountain once again. The glow faded and it shook its head dizzily, and then dove back underground. Pulsar and Crystal blinked in surprise, and then looked up when they saw a flash of movement from above. An Espeon suddenly leapt down from a rock and landed agilely on the ground in front of them. 

"Are you two okay?" She asked. 

"Yeah, thanks to you we are!" Crystal said, smiling at her. Pulsar regarded her for second then smiled and said, "Yeah, thanks. But what is an Espeon doing all the way up here? Do you live around here?"

"No, I'm just kind of wandering around," she replied, "What about you two? It's not exactly a good idea to be up here when your attacks can't hurt the Pokémon here."

"Are all the Pokémon up here rock-types?" Crystal asked.

"From what I've see they are."

"Oh. We didn't know that. Anyway, my name's Pulsar, and this is Crystal," Pulsar interjected.

"I'm Keia," she looked at the Raichu curiously, "What kind of name is _Pulsar_?" 

"Oh, well a Pulsar is a kind of star. A star that blinks a lot and flashes," he replied.

"Oh. I see," Keia said, "But you still didn't answer by question."

"Oh…well we came up here for a kind of break. We've had nothing but trouble lately – we've been attacked by anything and everything we've come across," Crystal said. "Though this is obviously no place to relax, as we just found out."

"I see," Keia said, looking around. 

"What about you? I didn't think that Espeon appeared in the wild," Raichu said. Keia's gaze dropped to the ground and her ears drooped sadly. "I'm not really wild. My… my trainer passed away some time ago."

"I'm sorry, Keia," Crystal said. "I guess he or she meant a lot to you."

"Yes, he did. His parents gave me to his cousin, but I didn't really want to fight for him. I missed my own trainer and didn't want another one. Then my new trainer took my tag… it was a silver one, on a string… my old trainer had saved up his money for a long time to get that for me. It was really special. Then I stopped fighting for him altogether and he got angry with me and tried to make me do what he wanted, so I ran away," she said. Her eyes were wet with unshed tears. Pulsar and Crystal looked at her sympathetically. "Oh. I ran away, too. My trainer wasn't nice to me at all. Crystal was abandoned," Pulsar said, motioning to the Meowth. "I guess we all have a sad story to tell… hey, why don't you come along with us, Keia? We don't really know where we're going, but we're at least trying to make the best of what lives we have left and trying to enjoy ourselves. How 'bout it?" Crystal asked. The Espeon looked at her for a moment, then at Pulsar. She _was_ kind of lonely and it would be nice to have someone to talk to for a change… "Sure. I guess I could use a little companionship," She replied at length. Crystal smiled. "I guess we're really getting a group together here… kind of like those adventurers in fantasy movies that travel around together and fight monsters and stuff," she said. "Maybe there are others out there who are alone like we all were…" she mused.

"Maybe so…" Pulsar said, looking down the mountain to the forest below, "Well, how about we head for the nearest town? I can see what looks like Turquoise Village from here."

"Okay, then. We may as well head that way," Crystal said. "Did you ever wonder why they name all these towns after colors?"

"They're too unoriginal to come up with anything else?" Keia suggested, "Anyway, if you want to get there fast, I can help." 

"Really? How?" Pulsar asked.

"I'm a Psychic Pokémon, remember?" Keia's eyes glowed brightly and a glow surrounded the three of them, and in an instant they stood in Turquoise Village. "Wow! That was too cool!" Pulsar said. Then he looked over at Crystal, whose every hair was straight up on end, her eyes wide. "Um… Crys? You okay?" he asked, waving a paw in front of her face. 

"Y-yeah. Fine. I'm ooookkaaaaay-y…" she replied, falling over suddenly. 

"Some take longer to adjust to the Teleporting that others," Keia explained. Pulsar looked worried and sat the Meowth up, holding her in place so she wouldn't fall over again until she got her bearings.

Then Crystal noticed a Mexican Restaurant. "TAAAACOOOOOSS!" she yelled, lunging out of Pulsars arms, running right by Keia and knocking the Espeon onto her haunches, and bolted into the building. A man behind the desk held out a bag to a lady who had just paid for her food. "So, that's a Taco and Burrito meal for four, and – hey!" the man yelled in surprise as Crystal leapt by, taking the bag with her and bolting back out the door before he could even realize what had just occurred. She headed back towards her confused friends, where she set the bag down. "Tacos! I love tacos! This is the best day ever!" she exclaimed. Then she turned to see the angry restaurant manager running at her with a frying pan. In an instant, they were outside of town in the forest. Crystal stumbled around for a second before collapsing on the ground. "I… don't think I like this Teleportation stuff…" she moaned. 

"So, um, what is so great about these taco things?" Pulsar asked. Crystal looked at him incredulously. "You've never had tacos? What is _wrong_ with you? Tacos are the best thing since… since… the invention of the Pokéball!" she exclaimed. Pulsar and Keia looked at each other confusedly but Crystal insisted they try some. They found out that tacos were indeed good… very good. Now that they were no longer hungry, they fell asleep.

They were awakened in the middle of the night by voices that came out of nowhere.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"To protect he world form devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend out reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meeeeowth, that's right!"

"Huh? Wha? Who are these guys?" Crystal asked. Meowth's eyes widened and he stared at her dreamily for a minute before rushing over and taking her paw, "_We_ are Team Rocket. And I'm Meowth… but you can call me sweetheart!" Crystal yanked her paw away, "Get away you creep!" she yelled. Meowth smiled, "Ahh… I love it when you's calls me creep!" She made a disgusted face and turned away.

"Look, Jess! Rare Pokémon!" A purple-haired boy said. Both were wearing all white with a red 'R' on the front of their shirts.

"Right! Let's steal them!" The other human said. She was a girl with long red hair that somehow defied the law of gravity by sticking straight back from her head. Meowth grinned and ran over to them. "Hehe! Yea! And she can stay wit me!" he pointed at Crystal, who stuck her tongue out. 

Pulsar looked worried, but Keia had already figured out a way out of the situation. "Hey, wait a minute, Meowth. You can't steal us," she said. "Why not?" He demanded. "Because we don't belong to anyone! You can't _steal_ wild Pokémon," she replied. He stared at her blankly for a minute and then relayed her point to the two humans. 

"Good point," the boy said.

"Well… no matter! Let's go find that annoying kid and his Pikachu!" The girl replied, and the two turned to leave. Meowth walked over to Crystal. "Maybe some time when we're both free we could, you know, go catch a movie or somethin'," he said. She laid her ears back and took a step back. "No way! I don't hang around with law-breaking reject like you!" she replied. "Yea, but –" he was about to protest when Pulsar walked over to him, looking quite imposing. "Quit hitting on Crystal!" he growled, whipping around in a circle and smacking his tail into Meowth and hurling him into the other two, sending them all flying. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they all yelled in union as they were hurled into the distance.

"Ooookay… that was really lame," Keia said as she watched them go. "Yeah, and what's with the poem? And the name? _Team Rocket_? Sheesh, how pathetic can you get?" Pulsar asked. He noticed Crystal grinning at him. "What?" he asked. Keia grinned at him too. "So, what's the _real_ reason you didn't like Meowth flirting with Crystal?" The Espeon asked. "Well…eh… she didn't like him and… he was being annoying! That was all…" he stuttered. "Oh, _I_ see," Keia said slyly, winking at Crystal.

"What? What?" Pulsar was glancing from one to the other.

"You know what. But for now lets get some rest. I want to try and get to Saffron tomorrow," the Espeon replied. They settled down to rest once again, and luckily there were no more interruptions that night. 

(End Note: Okay, well, not exactly a good story, but I had a kind of writers block.) 


	3. Past Reflections

Pokémon Journeys: Ch. 3: Past Reflections

The next morning the trio headed for Saffron City. It wasn't that far from Turquoise Village, so they decided to walk and enjoy the morning. It was that kind of comfortable temperature than felt kind of warm on the skin but crisp whenever you breathed it in. The sky was somewhat overcast, but then again the area around Saffron always seemed to have a darkness about it. Despite that, the Pokémon were in good cheer when they finally reached the city. All of them, that is, except Pulsar. He'd been here before, and the experience had not been be a pleasant one. As he looked forlornly at the Saffron Gym, his eyes took on a distant look as he remembered the events that had happened only a few months before. 

(Flashback)

***

# I stood ready for battle. Across the floor from him was an Alakazam, which I knew would be a very tough opponent. But I still thought I could win . The Alakazam sneered at me and then glanced at the Gym Leader, a somewhat frightening teenage girl with long black hair and yellow eyes. "You want me to fight this? I think Abra would be a better match for him!" it said. I felt my blood boil. An Abra? I was much better than that! I'd show that arrogant jerk if it was the last thing I did!

# "Pulsar, Agility! Then hit it with your Thunder!" Matt commanded. "PiKA!" I said enthusiastically. I leapt forward and darted around the Alakazam. It was confused by my speed and couldn't get a lock on me. I suddenly skidded to a stop and leapt upward, landing on its shoulders. "P'kaaaaahhhh….CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!" My Thunder attack ripped through it and I could feel it shake under the force. I jumped down, thinking the battle was finished. To my surprise, my opponent started to glow and in an instant it was healed. I was so stunned that I didn't know what to do.

# "Psychic attack," The leader said calmly. Her voice was eerie. It made my blood run cold to hear it. So calm and emotionless… I didn't have much time to contemplate that, for I felt a force gather around me and I was lifted off the ground. My mind was a jumble. I couldn't think, I couldn't move. I was hurled into the ceiling, and then into the floor, and into the ceiling again . When the attack was done, I could hardly breathe. But I got back on my feet anyway.

# "You don't know when to give up, do you?" The Alakazam asked haughtily. I gritted my teeth and slowly turned to face him. "Oh, I know when to quit – NEVER!" With that I lunged at it again, slamming into it with my Take Down. It hurt me, but despite that I wasn't worried. It hurt my opponent more. The Alakazam looked hurt, but it glared at me and launched a Psybeam at me. Now, I was fast, as all Pikachu are, so I dodged it. But I was tired. The second and third attacks I couldn't dodge. I got shakily to my feet, defiant even though I knew I was done for. One last it hit me – with a Swift attack this time. I tried to dodge it, but the shimmering stars followed me and hurled me backward upon impact. After that, everything went black.

# 

# ***

"Pulsar? PULSAR?" Crystal said, waving one paw in front of the Raichu. He snapped out of his trance and looked over at her. "Huh? Uh, yeah, I'm okay. So where are we going?" he asked. "I don't know. I think maybe we'll wait here. Keia went off somewhere and said she'd be back. She had something she needed to do, but she didn't specify. I didn't press the point," Crystal replied. She looked at the Gym and back to him. "Well, on second thought, let's go have a look around. I've never been here before, and I like to see the sights, you know?" She said, starting off. He nodded and followed silently. After a while they passed the Saffron Pokémon Center. He knew this place all too well, too.

***

_When next I knew, I was called out in the Pokémon Center. Matt was standing there talking to the Nurse, which ever Joy it was. _It's a Joy-full world_, I thought amusedly. My good humor didn't last long. I looked over as someone else entered the Pokémon Center, not really concerned but a bit curious. Two Chansey were rushing an injured Umbreon into the E.R. _

_"Sorry to do this to ya, Pulsar, but I really need to win that badge," Matt said from behind me. I started to turn and look at him when suddenly I felt something cold touch my fur, and for a moment everything went kind of hazy. I felt a surge of strength go through me, felt my voltage level rise dramatically. It was strange. I looked over at Matt, confused. "Rai?" I was shocked by my own voice. I looked down at my now-brown fur and swished my bladed tail. He looked at me approvingly and then pulled out my Pokéball. "Return, Pulsar." I started to protest but was drawn into the Pokéball. After that, for good or for bad, my life was never the same._

***

"So, Pulsar, do you know this place? Any good places to eat?" Crystal asked. He shook his head to clear the dreary thoughts from it and looked over at her. "Yeah, I do, as a matter of fact."

"Okay, well, lets get some food and then go back to wait for Keia," She replied. The Raichu lead her to a small restaurant. "I'll get the food this time, since you got dinner yesterday," he told her. He crept into the diner, and Crystal tried to keep from snickering as she watched. Raichu weren't really built for sneaking… 

Nonetheless, no one noticed Pulsar enter. He hopped up on a stool and peered over the counter. A small girl nearby spotted him. "Mommy, mommy! Look! A Raichu! Oh, isn't he cute?" She exclaimed, crawling up on the stool next to him and petting him. "Rai!" he said happily. Pulsar liked little kids. They didn't care about battling – just having fun. Kind of like him. "Marie, honey, we need to go," a woman said, picking her up off the stool and leading her by one hand out the door. Pulsar sighed and jumped back down, then snuck into the kitchen. Aha! There was cardboard container of fried chicken being filled up for an order that had been places while he was at the counter. When it was finished, he suddenly leapt up and grabbed the handle of it in his mouth, then jumped back down. "Hey!" The angry cook yelled, grabbing a rolling pin and running for Pulsar. He calmly set the food down. He wanted fried chicken, but not _that_ fried. He used his Thundershock on the man and then picked up the basket again and ran out of the restaurant, meeting Crystal outside. After explaining what had taken so long, he went with her back to the gym. They didn't want to eat until Keia returned, so they waited there. And once again, Pulsar felt himself grow somewhat distant.

***

He took me back to that gym, with the Alakazam. From what I'd learned later, Sandslash had taken on Kadabra, the other Pokémon the Gym leader had. But, as Matt explained, he needed me to take on the super-powered Alakazam. I didn't want to fight for him now. What he had done to me was unforgivable. I had liked the way I was.

_But still, I wanted to show that Alakazam just how tough I was. At the time, I just kept telling myself over and over that it was because of my loss to Alakazam that all of this had happened. That all of this was really his fault. I knew better. But at the moment, I used anything I could to fuel my anger. Anger fueled power. Power was what I needed to win. The Alakazam looked at me with contempt as he always did. This time, though, I would wipe that look off his face. As the battle started, I began with my Thunderbolt. It was powerful as well as accurate, so it was a good starting attack. My opponent fought back with Psybeam, and I felt myself become confused. Matt ordered me to use Thunder, but I shocked myself instead of Alakazam. Where was it? Where was my enemy? I couldn't figure it out. It was like he was everywhere at once, but at the same time he was nowhere. Then I focused on him. He was there, and he was about to attack, I poured every bit of energy I had into my Thunder, which miraculously hit its mark. Alakazam went down hard and didn't get back up. Matt cheered and thrust one fist in the air triumphantly. I wasn't all that happy. I'd beaten my opponent, one last time. For one last time I'd helped my trainer to win a Badge so he could enter the championship. I had done more than my part, much more than he had ever done for me. So at that moment I ran out of the Gym. I could hear him calling me, but I ignored him and kept going until I was far into the dark woods surrounding the city. For hours after I could see him searching for me, hear him calling for me. The light from the flame of his Chameleon lit up the darkness, but he never found me. After a few hours he gave up. The next day he left the city, heading for Fuchsia. He looked over his shoulder at he dark forest, tears rimming his dark eyes._

_I never saw him again after that. Sometimes I wonder if he ever made it to the Pokémon League… and sometimes, I wonder why I care. Why should I? He was never good to me. He didn't care about me…did he?_

_ _

_***_

__

Crystal watched as Pulsar looked at the Gym. It was as if he was really looking at something else, like he was looking through it to something that only he could see. She sighed. Where was Keia? She'd been gone a long time. It was going to get dark soon, and she was getting hungry.

Far from the Gym, on a large and grassy hill, Keia stood with a beautiful red rose in her mouth. Her eyes watered as she looked at he plain gray stone before her. She had stood here for a long time, offering a silent prayer to the boy she had loved. Slowly, she set the rose down gently on the ground in front of his grave. The warm wind gently played with the long grasses that grew unattended in the graveyard. She stood there, long after sunset, watching as the fading light set the sky aflame. Before she knew it, it was dark. Up on the hill, the moon and stars shown clearly. She stared up at them for a while, marveling at their beauty. Hoping that somehow her trainer was there somewhere, and that he could hear her prayer.

Later on that night the Espeon retuned to her friends. They could tell by her quiet nature and the look in her eyes that whatever she had been doing was something important, so neither bothered to question her as to where she had been or bother her about the time it had taken. The food was cold, but it didn't matter to them – food was food, and they were glad to have it. The other two went to sleep, but Keia spent the night staring at the sky. _I hope he heard me… I- I hope he knows how much I cared about him…_ She looked up at the stars, …_do you?_ She asked silently, as if maybe there was some kind of answer there. 

A shooting star, its light brighter than the others, shot across the sky and faded into the distance. After watching it for a moment, Keia lay down to rest, happy for the first time since the death of her trainer. 

He knew.


	4. Clash of the Gangs

Pokemon Journeys, Ch. 3: Clash of the Gangs

The Jolteon bolted through the forest, dodging trees with tremendous speed. Whatever it was running from must have been left far behind by now. Its Agility carried it faster and faster, though it appeared to be tiring. 

Crystal, Keia, and Pulsar watched as he stopped, panting, in the middle of a clearing, his head down. The Jolteon walked over to a small lake and took a drink, glancing over his shoulder as if expecting to see someone following behind him. The trio moved out into plain sight so that the Jolteon would know they were there. 

"Is someone chasing you?" Keia asked. He turned to look at her, a bit startled by their sudden appearance. "Not anymore," he replied. Pulsar looked back the way he had come and asked, "What were you running from, might I ask?"

The Jolteon sighed. "Team Rocket. I need to go back, however. They have my trainer, Damian."

Crystal blinked. "I though they only stole Pokemon. What would they want with your trainer?" she asked. 

"He belongs to a rival gang. They wanted to question him the whereabouts of our gang's hideout."

Keia looked at him incredulously. "Your trainer is a Pokemon _thief_?" She asked.

"Yes," the Jolteon replied a bit sadly, "But he's actually very good at what he does. And he's a good trainer… and my friend."

Pulsar shook his head scornfully, "I can't believe that. I mean honestly – Team Rocket couldn't catch a _cold_ on the top of a mountain in December in their underwear, much less catch a _trainer_." 

The Jolteon glared. "They're not all weak and stupid like those you know. Some of the T.R. trainers are very powerful, and they have powerful Pokemon, too."

"Like what?" Crystal asked. 

"Like Nidoking. And Charizard. They have others, but they didn't send them out. I was just barely able to get away; they were trying to steal me, too."

The Meowth thought for a moment. "I'll help you. My name's Crystal," she said finally, walking up to the Jolteon and smiling, then looking over her shoulder at the others to see if they would, too.

"Well, in any other case, I'd say let them take him. But to help a fellow Eeveelution in need, I'll do anything," Keia said, stepping forward. Pulsar looked from one to the other. After a moment, he said, "Well, there's no way I'm letting you two go in there without me, especially since it could be a trap. Besides," he winked, "beating up Rockets is my hobby!"

"My name's Sage." The Jolteon said. The others two introduced themselves and Sage led them off towards the small, rundown building where he claimed the Rockets were holding his trainer captive.

They snuck around the side of the building, which looked like an old warehouse. What a warehouse was doing in the middle of the woods, no one knew, but it was there. Sage leapt onto a pile of stacked firewood that was leaning against the side of the building, and from that to the ledge of a large window. "He's in there! Tied to a chair in the far corner. Charizard and Nidoking are guarding the door. Apparently they're expecting company," he reported.

"You?" Crystal asked.

"Maybe so…but most likely they're nervous and think I've gone to get help. They won't be expecting _this_ help," he replied with a smile.

They stood before the doors, listening quietly. They could hear the sound of voices inside, but couldn't make out the conversation. Pulsar took a deep breath. "On the count of three, we go in. Agreed?" When the others nodded, he counted, "One…two…THREE!" 

The four Pokemon burst through the door and were immediately met by the Charizard and Nidoking. The two Rockets who stood in the room, young men both with black uniforms and masks, called out two more Pokemon when the four Pokemon entered. 

"Go, Dragonite!" 

"Go, Alakazam!" 

"Rai!" Pulsar growled, lunging for the Dragonite. The legendary Pokemon dodged and whacked the Raichu with one of its leathery wings, sending him sprawling, but Pulsar got back up, apparently not hurt much at all. "You should know better than to use a flying-type attack on an electric-type!" he scorned. Suddenly he leapt forward again, this time darting all about the Dragon with blinding speed, using his Agility. What he did not expect, though, was a second opponent. The Alakazam stepped up and narrowed its eyes at Pulsar. A blue aura formed around him and he found himself helpless under the effects of the Disable attack.

Sage faced off against the Charizard. He started off with a Thunderbolt attack, and the Charizard was obviously hurting, but the flame Pokemon retaliated with a Flamethrower attack, singeing Sage's fur. He growled and used the Thunder attack, which left the Charizard reeling, hardly able to keep on its feet.

Keia looked at the Nidoking in front of her with a kind of boredom. 

"A poison type? Oh please," she said. The Nidoking started to glow, and she casually turned her head to look at the wall beside her. The Psychic attack hurled Nidoking into it hard, leaving a slight indentation wherever it had hit. Then she looked at the ceiling. Then another wall. And then to the floor, and to another wall. By the time the huge Pokemon had hit every flat surface in the room, it had fainted. She yawned delicately, "Piece of cake. And it's a chocolate cake, too. Triple layer, with lots of icing… and sprinkles… and– " then she noticed Pulsar, under attack by both the Dragonite and the Alakazam, at the other side of the building. But she would never reach him in time.

Crystal had immediately run over to Sage's trainer, dodging the two Rockets as she did so. She chewed through the ropes that held him and he stood, pulling the gag from his mouth. The two Rockets had reached them by then, and Damian met them with fists flying, slugging one and knocking him out cold. The second was a harder opponent, though, and much larger than the slight, black-haired boy.

Then she noticed Pulsar. He was too far away from the others for anyone to reach him, and he was being attacked from all sides. It made her furious, and yet very desperate. If only she could reach him before he fainted! She felt strange then, as if she was slowly becoming weightless. Everything around her turned to blackness, gray shadows swirling all around. She could see nothing by the Alakazam. In a flash, she was there, right in front of her. She felt the power of the darkness around her, and she focused it on her opponent almost reflexively as she struck it. "Kaaazaaammm!" the Alakazam seemed badly hurt by it. Then everything around her became clear again, all but a black aura around her, which faded swiftly. Crystal had no time to worry about it now, though. She leapt up at the Alakazam and bit it, and to her surprise it fainted under the Dark-type attack.

Pulsar, having now regained his ability to move, growled at the Dragonite and leapt high into the air, landing on the Dragon Pokemon's back and clinging there. The Dragonite flailed about and spun in circles futilely, but it could not shake the Raichu. Pulsar's Thunder attack shook the foundations of the building, and the Dragonite wavered for a second. The mouse Pokemon jumped off, stood there for a second, and then used Quick Attack, knocking the Dragonite to the ground, unconscious.

Crystal still stood unbelieving at the feinted Alakazam. How had she done that? And what was the strange attack she had used that had carried her across the room? She didn't have much time to think, for the remaining Rocket tossed one last Pokeball into the fight. "Go, Persian!" he yelled. The huge, lion-like cat Pokemon appeared, and Crystal was a bit taken aback. The small Meowth was the first thing that the Persian went for. Crystal felt dread overtake her. How could she possibly beat her own evolved form?

Keia rushed over to Pulsar, who was nearly fainted. "Are you okay?" she asked. Before he could answer, there was a terrible racket to their left, and they looked over to see Crystal facing off against the Persian. "Oh no…" Keia said. The two moved almost too fast to see, and it was hard to tell who was winning. "I only hope she can use that Faint Attack again." Pulsar said. The Espeon looked at him curiously. "Faint Attack?" she asked. "Yeah, that's what she just used on the Alakazam, there. That's why it fainted so quickly. I don't think she even realized what it was. Hopefully she'll figure it out… and fast."

The Persian leapt at her, but Crystal dodged. She focused again on her opponent_. I must reach the Persian. It's too fast to get any normal way. Must reach out and strike again with the shadows…_she thought. In mere moments, she felt the world fade into the distance again, and the shadowy mists swirled around her. Again, time seemed almost to slow down as the Persian looked around, confused that its opponent had disappeared. Crystal focused as much energy as she possibly could, until she though she might burst with it, and struck out. The Persian reeled back from the hit, but still stood, although wounded badly. Crystal appeared again and the Persian retaliated, swiping her aside and sending her tumbling hard into the wall. She shook her head dizzily and looked over in time to see the Persian almost upon her. 

There was a flash of yellow and white, and something slammed into her foe, knocking it aside before it could strike her again. Sage stood defensively between her and the Persian. Then he smiled grimly and lunged forward and kicked the Persian hard, knocking it out cold with his fighting-type attack, Double-Kick. All of their opponents had been defeated, but the group was sorry looking indeed. Pulsar and Crystal were barely conscious, and Sage was badly burned. Keia had not been harmed, but was tired all the same. Damian walked over to Sage and put a hand on the Jolteon's head, smiling. "Thanks, Sage. I was really worried there for a while. Not only do we have two captives to bring back to the boss, but all these Pokemon you and the others knocked out, too. Come to think of it," he turned to look at Pulsar and Keia, "we have even more than that. Get them, Sage!" he pointed at the Keia and Pulsar. The Jolteon did not move an inch. "Sage, I said attack!" Damian said, confused. After his Pokemon still did not move, he scratched his head confusedly. 

"Tired, maybe? Okay, then. I guess I'll call out Vapor-"

"JOLT!" As Damian reached for the Pokeball at his belt, Sage put a paw on his hand, pinning it down, and shaking his head empathically.

"...eon. No?" 

"Jolt! Jolteeeeeeon!"

The trainer looked at him blankly for a bit and then smiled. "Oh, I see. They're friends of yours, ne? Alright, then. I'll get these idiots here taken care of," he motioned to the Rockets, "and you can tell your friends goodbye. This isn't a good place for strays," With that, he turned to take care of the enemy thieves.

Sage turned to Crystal and the others. "I don't know how I can ever thank you for your help. But take these," he went over to Damian's pack and took two Hyper Potions out of it, tossing them to Pulsar, "they'll at least help with your wounds. You had better go now, if you want to be safe. Thank you again. If you ever need anything, just ask." A red beam of light hit Sage and he turned into nothing more than a cloud of red glowing light as he was recalled by his trainer and drawn into the Pokeball. They watched silently as Damian left, taking the unconscious Team Rocket gangsters with him. Pulsar, being the only one with decent paws for the job, used the Hyper Potions on himself and Crystal. Their wounds healed instantly, and the three companions were able to start on their way once again. The sun had begun to set and all were tired, more than willing to find a safe place to rest for the night. "Do you think we'll ever see Sage again?" Crystal asked.

"I hope so," Keia replied absently. She'd been a bit distant ever since they had left the abandoned warehouse. The other two looked at her curiously. She seemed a bit infatuated… 

"I'm sure you do," Pulsar said slyly, "Methinks Keia has a little bit of a crush…"

"I do not! So, okay, I agree he's a nice guy, and good looking, and brave, and smart…" she stopped herself before going too far, "But that doesn't mean I'm obsessed with him."

"We said nothing about obsession. A _crush_ is an entirely different thing," Crystal pointed out.

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Keia demanded.

"Pulsar's."

"I should have guessed as much… you're not going to let me forget this, are you?"

"Nope!" the other two said in unison. Keia sighed. This was going to be a _long_ night… 


	5. Miracles

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